| Name: | Ms. Carole Skelton |
| Political Party: | Conservative |
| Constituency: | Saskatoon-Rosetown-Biggar |
| Province: | Saskatchewan |
| Telephone: | (613) 995-1551 |
| Fax: | (613) 943-2010 |
| Email: | Skelton.C@parl.gc.ca |
| Address: | House of Commons, Ottawa K1A OA6 |
| Constituency Address: | 904E 22nd Street West Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7M 0S1 |
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09/01/2004 - letter sent to MP Carole Skelton from Gordon A. Watts 29 August 2004 Ms. Carole Skelton Dear Ms. Skelton Congratulations on your recent election as a Member of Parliament. To have the trust and respect of those who voted for you is a great honour. Members who have been re-elected will be aware of an issue affecting a great many Canadians that seek their personal ancestry through research of Historic Census records. Newly elected Members may not yet be aware of this issue. It has been estimated that in excess of 7.5 million Canadians have an interest in genealogy and family history. These individuals seek to regain the same public access, with no added conditions or restrictions, to 92-year-old records of Census after 1906 that is currently available for 240 years of Census records up to that time. Access to Census records after 1906 is prevented at this time because of the (believed illegal) policy of a federal civil servant - Dr. Ivan P. Fellegi - Chief Statistician of Canada. The Library and Archives of Canada Act (and it's predecessor) has designated to the Librarian and Archivist the authority to determine what records of government are of archival or historical value and that shall be deposited in the National Library and Archives. Librarian and Archivist Ian E. Wilson determined that schedules of Census have archival and historical value. He declared them to be a National Treasure. He requested the Chief Statistician to return care and control of the records in question to his authority. Dr. Fellegi denied that request. The Access to Information and Privacy Acts, and Privacy Regulations, make specific provision for personal information collected through Census or Survey to be made available to any person or body for purposes of research, 92 years following collection. The legislation assumes these records to be under the care and control of the National Archivist. By refusing to return care and control of the records in question to the Librarian and Archivist for subsequent public access the Chief Statistician has acted in deliberate contravention of the Library and Archives of Canada Act, the Access to Information Act, and the Privacy Act. He has usurped the authority of the Librarian and Archivist to determine what governmental records are of archival or historical value and that shall be deposited in the Library and Archives of Canada. In dictating policy instead of following policy determined through legislation passed by Parliament he has usurped the authority of that body. Do you believe that any Federal bureaucrat, regardless of how highly placed or regarded, is above the Laws of Canada? Do you believe that a civil servant has the power to dictate policy that contravenes legislation passed by the Parliament of Canada? The Access to Information and Privacy Acts are complementary Acts born of the same Bill debated and passed by Parliament. Do you believe the parliamentarians who passed this legislation would knowingly include clauses in one Act, the effect of which would be to totally nullify clauses in the other? If your answer to any of these questions is 'NO' we ask that you support our efforts to regain the same public access - with no added restrictions or conditions - to Historic Census records after 1906 that is currently available for 240 years of Census records up to that time. We seek nothing new. We seek only that which current legislation states we are entitled to - access that we have had in the past but is currently (believed illegally) withheld from us by the Chief Statistician of Canada. We ask that you call upon the Government of Canada to immediately direct the Chief Statistician of Canada to obey the Laws of Canada. We ask that he be directed to return care and control of schedules of Historic Census to the Librarian and Archivist of Canada for subsequent public access in accordance with the Access to Information and Privacy Acts. We ask further that you ensure continued public access to Historic Census records by seeking a government Bill that would add to the Statistics Act a single clause, similar to the following: "Original schedules of Census or authentic copies thereof shall, not later than thirty (30) years following collection, be transferred to the care and control of the National Archivist for subsequent public access in accordance with provisions of the Access to Information and Privacy Acts, and Regulations attached thereto." In reading my letter you may not feel any obligation to respond to someone living outside your electoral riding. The votes you cast in Parliament, however, affect all people living in Canada and in that respect your constituency is all of Canada. Considering this, even though I do not reside in your riding I would greatly appreciate your personal response to my letter. Your response, stating your support (or otherwise) of the access we seek, will be posted to your Correspondence Log on the Post 1901 Census Project website. It will be available for viewing by your constituents on the MPs Scoreboard at www.globalgenealogy.com/Census Thank you for taking the time to read my letter, and for your consideration of this very important issue. Respectfully Gordon A. Watts 04/10/2001 - email from MP Carol Skelton to Marge McDonalds.
Date: Mon, 9 Apr 2001 09:35:06 -0400 From: Skelton, Carol - M.P. To: M Macdonald This will acknowledge receipt of your email and thank you for contacting our office. Mrs. Skelton believes that the information contained in the 1911 Census is important to genealogists and historians and would vote in favour of releasing these records, providing that such a release would respect the confidentiality of the sensitive material contained in them. Yours truly, Donna Larose, Assistant to Carol Skelton, M.P., Saskatoon-Rosetown-Biggar 04/--/2001 - email to MP Carol Skelton from Marge MacDonald. Carol Skelton, MP As a Canadian citizen, I am writing to express my support for the recommendations of the Expert Panel on Access to Historical Census Records. I encourage you to take a strong stand on BILL S-12 AND BILL C-312 which will allow the publishing of the 1911 Census records and any future census records as well. As a genealogist, I depend heavily on census returns. The Expert Panel acknowledges that these records are important and says they should continue to be made available. The government's deferral of this matter for further study is puzzling to say the least. The majority of MPs from BC, Alta. Sask. and Man. have stated their support. In Ontario only 28 of 103 members have indicated support, you remain undecided. I have been researching my families' roots for over 8 years. Without such records as the Census' being available for all to review, it makes the search very difficult, if not impossible. This particular census is especially vital to my research and I'm sure to many others. My families originated in Europe and immigrated in the late 1800s to the US and then to Canada in the early 1900s. I have been successful in tracing many ancestors through the US Census and the UK Census, without which, it would not have been possible and hopefully with your support I and many others like me will be able to continue to do so through the Canadian Census. Most of the vital information is contained in the first decade of the 1900s, when the immigration level was at a high peak. Many members of our families have developed a great sense of history in finding their roots and I feel it can only enhance them as citizens of our country. Genealogists everywhere have volunteered many, many hours to the realization of their searches and I feel that with the release of this census information and future census information, it will only heighten others' interest as well. I strongly urge you to support these two bills S-12 and C-312. If you have very good reasons why you should not support these bills, I would appreciate knowing just what they are. Thank you. Yours sincerely, Marge Macdonald, Maple Ridge, B.C. 04/09/2001 - email from MP Carol Skelton to Garth Ulrich. Subject: RE: Post 1901 Census Records Date: Mon, 9 Apr 2001 09:36:32 -0400 From: "Skelton, Carol - M.P." To: Garth Ulrich This will acknowledge receipt of your email and thank you for contacting our office. Mrs. Skelton believes that the information contained in the 1911 Census is important to genealogists and historians and would vote in favour of releasing these records, providing that such a release would respect the confidentiality of the sensitive material contained in them. Yours truly, Donna Larose, Assistant to Carol Skelton, M.P., Saskatoon-Rosetown-Biggar 04/09/2001 - email from MP Carol Skelton to Martha Blanchard. Subject: RE: Post 1901 Census: Date: Mon, 9 Apr 2001 15:30:41 -0400 From: "Skelton, Carol - M.P." This will acknowledge receipt of your email and thank you for contacting our office. Please accept my apologies for the delay in replying. Mrs. Skelton believes that the information contained in the 1911 Census is important to genealogists and historians and would vote in favour of releasing these records, providing that such a release would respect the confidentiality of the sensitive material contained in them. Yours truly, Donna Larose, Assistant to Carol Skelton, M.P., Saskatoon-Rosetown-Biggar 04/10/2001 - email from MP Carol Skelton to Jane Mosher Page and Linda Squires Vaillancourt. From: "Skelton, Carol - M.P." To: Jane Mosher Page Sent: April 10, 2001 11:04 AM Subject: RE: census This will acknowledge receipt of your email and thank you for contacting our office. Mrs. Skelton believes that the information contained in post 1901 Census records is important to genealogists and historians and would vote in favour of releasing these records, providing that such a release would respect the confidentiality of the sensitive material contained in them. Yours truly, Donna Larose, Assistant to Carol Skelton, M.P., Saskatoon-Rosetown-Biggar 03/12/2001 - email to MP Carol Skelton from Jane Mosher Page and Linda Squires Vaillancourt. From: Jane Mosher Page Sent: March 12, 2001 3:05 PM To: Skelton.C@parl.gc.ca Subject: re:census Hello, We are writing to ask for your YES vote to allow census records to be made available. One group in particular needs to have this information: British Home Children. This is the name used to describe children who were taken from England starting in the mid 1800's until the mid 1900's. These children often lost complete contact with their families. British Home Children and their descendants need the census information to trace their family histories and medical histories. Please, vote Yes to allow open access to census records. Thank you for your attention. Linda Squires Vaillancourt Jane Mosher Page 02/07/2001 - email to MP Carole Skelton from Marth Blanchard. From: BLANCHARD Sent: February 7, 2001 3:11 AM To: Anderson.D@parl.gc.ca Subject: Post 1901 Census: Dear Member of Parliament; I am one of over 7 million Canadians involved in Genealogical research. We all, in researching our family ancestry depend heavily on information provided in Census reports. Under current legislation, post 1901 Census reports will not be released to the Public after 92 years, as have been Census reports up to and including 1901. Some of us are only first generation Canadians, others are up to well over fifteen generation Canadians. We are all proud of our ancestors for without them we wouldn't be here. The past Census Reports have been a very vital tool for anyone wishing to trace their ancestral lineages and we would not like to see this tool lost to us or to future generations. I personally feel that 92 years is a safe length of time to release Census reports. We have sent numerous letters and E-mails to local Members of Parliament, Government Ministers, and Senators expressing our dismay. We have requested the legislation be amended to allow release to the Public of all Census reports after 92 years. I am asking; Would you please, as a Member of the House of Commons of the Parliament of Canada, having been placed in that position by the voting citizens of your Constituency, please vote FOR a Bill supporting the release to the Public of Post 1901 Census Reports after 92 years? Thank you. Martha Blanchard 11/27/2000 - Ms. Carol Skelton was elected to the House of Commons 27 November 2000. |
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